How is driving without powersteering?

[ChrisK]

For a short time I drove my 92 with no power steering to work a lot. I had no problems using it as a daily driver for that time. Once you start moving even just a little bit (My guess 5MPH or higher) you can already 1 hand steer the NSX, so it is not a problem. It is only when you try and move the steering wheel while the car is not in motion for that first few feet while trying to get out of a tight parking space that you need two hands, but it is not that hard at all. On the opposite side I drive an 04 Lexus which has one of the more over boosted feeling steering wheels IMHO and I still have no trouble jumping into the NSX. It me personally all about a few blocks to get used to the steering. If you drove the NSX as a daily drive you would not miss powersteering at all. However, while it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, I probably wouldn't mind having the power steering for those rare tight parking space times even it it really doesn't bother my much at all right now. However, like NetViper mentioned, between a 94 and 95/96 it would be more a choice between hard top and T. I personally probably wouldn't step up to a 97+ if you really wanted the T over the Coupe since the 97 has a lot of worth while upgrades including more power and IMHO a better trans.

I'd also like to mentioned as I don't think anyone brought it up, no power steering in an NSX is not the same as the old no power steering days or if you loose power steering in a car that was equiped with it. It actually is much lighter than if you had a power steering car and lost your power steering. I tried to emmulate the steering feel of my NSX by disconnecting the power steering ECU on my Lexus SC400. What this does is give you a bare minimum power steering boost. In the SC's case it felt pretty good at speeds above 50/60 MPH, but it was much heavier and tougher to steer than the NSX at anything under 30 MPH. Going back into the NSX felt like it had power steering :biggrin: I ended up hooking the ECU back up because my wife hated the steering feel.

 

[NSX-Racer]

It all depends upon what type of driving you plan on doing with your NSX. If it is on a race track, I would think the majority would opt for non-power steering

Why? At track speeds the power steering is off anyway as it was already mentioned here.

And when someone (like TucAZNSX) compares power steering and non-PS with different model years it doesn't say too much because the steering transmission has been changed over the years so no real comparison is possible.

Quote from the FAQ:
"The main reason the EPS-equipped cars feel different is that they simply use different steering racks with different ratios.
'91-'94 5-speed cars have an 18.6:1 ratio
'95+ manual cars have a variable ratio of 18.2:1 to 20.8:1. All but the Zanardi have EPS.
All automatics to date have EPS with an 18.6:1 ratio regardless of year.
The Zanardi has the same variable rack as the '95+ EPS cars and they simply deleted the power assist."

And: When you compare a '93 with a '96 you may even have an influence by the different stock tire sizes that changed in '94.

 

[whiteNSXs]

I love my 93 w/o power steering. It is such a joy to drive at speed without the artificial feel of power assist.

The NSX power steering is a very well engineered piece. The power assist turns off above 30mph and the car feels like a non-power assisted car. I think a lot of people assume that the NSX with power steering would fel like a Caddy but in fact it has best of both world. I will vote for the power steering NSX all the way.
Steve

 

[nsxpt]

Give me 5 whiteNSXs! I don't see what's not to like about it. Again, you can feel the road all you want at high speed just like a non PS model and if you have to do a parking or a u turn at low speed it's there to help you out. It's like night and day comparing the 91 300 ZX I used to have with hydraulic PS which was so light all the time. The EPS on the NSX is indeed a piece of work, much lighter and much more fun to have. But if you really want to keep your better half away from your NSX I concur that the non PS would be the best bet. :wink:

Quote from FAQ:
Honda went with an electric power steering system mainly because (1) It's compact and light and (2) it's not parasitic (robbing power from the engine) since it only draws electric power on demand. But it also provides precise control and is easy to vary the amount of assistance with an electric unit. Plus it's simpler to install (especially in a mid- or rear-engined car), there are no hydraulic lines to break, and it's quieter. :smile: